Brown and Farm Fresh RI collaborate to host an autumn farmers market right here on campus at the Sciences Park, just outside the SciLi. Each Wednesday, from 11-2, local vendors come to the farmers market to sell everything from sweet native corn to Lebanese spinach pie. If you have the time, I recommend stopping by each stall to chat with the owners and exploreall that the market has to offer. If you don’t have the time to hit up every last vendor (happy midterm season, everybody), here are which vendors to visit.
If you’re off meal plan and looking for some fresh, local ingredients to do some adult cooking in your adult kitchen like the adult that you are:
The most traditionally farm-y vendor at the farmers market, Mello’s sells produce they grow in Tiverton. Get the last of this year’s fresh summer harvest – corn, cucumber, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and more – to cook for dinner instead of eating Ramen yet again. Or, stock up on fall favorites like apples and some cute little pumpkins that make excellent dorm decor.
If you are on meal plan, don’t worry, you don’t have to miss out – you may already have eaten some of Mello’s produce at various campus eateries.
If you don’t have time to visit every stall at the farmers market, then you almost definitely don’t have time to go apple picking. But that doesn’t mean you have to give up on the holy experience of biting into a crisp fresh-picked apple. Stop by Barden Orchard’s booth at the farmers market for any or all of the 6-7 varieties of apples they have each week. Stock up on their most popular – Honeycrisp, Macoun, and Gala – and if you want the full autumn experience, add about half a dozen Cortland apples to your bag and do some fall baking. Before you go, be sure to check out Spoon’s Guide to Picking the Right Apple. While you’re there, grab some sweet apple cider, $3 for a pint.
Farm Fresh RI’s Harvest Kitchen
Come to the stand for the free applesauce samples and leave with a full jar of applesauce, maybe even with a second full jar of the strawberry flavor. Harvest Kitchen also sells tons of cupboard staples, from stewed tomatoes to peanut butter, along with sweet treats like zucchini bread.
Plus, by supporting Harvest Kitchen, you’re helping at-risk youth in Rhode Island get job training and culinary education, and that’s pretty cool.
If you’re on meal plan but looking to switch it up with lunch that’s more exciting than the Ratty:
Havav Near East Market
Check their Facebook page before you stop by to see what’s on the menu for the farmers market that day. If they have Lahmajoon, which the owners describe as the Armenian version of pizza, stop by. Even if they don’t (though they most likely do), you should probably still stop by for the freshly prepared Armenian dishes, many of which are vegetarian and vegan-friendly.
The co-owners of this family run catering company use their respective African and Jamaican heritages as well as their past experiences – namely working in an Italian restaurant – to create a menu of dishes available at the farmers market that are as unique as they are tasty. Try their locally sourced, made-from-scratch Jamaican patties, especially the beef. And for all the vegetarians out there, Patois makes a vegetarian patty and a coconut curry with chickpeas for all the herbivores out there.
If you’re just looking for a little something sweet to brighten up your Wednesday:
Seven Stars often has the longest line of any vendor at the farmers market, but it’s undoubtedly worth the wait. From fresh-baked breads to sweeter treats like scones, croissants, and apple turnovers, Seven Stars is a carb-lover’s dream (so basically everybody’s dream). If you only have a few minutes to stop by the market as you run from Barus & Holley to Smitty B, do yourself a favor and stop at the Seven Stars stall.
Two Little Buns
Two Little Buns has a ton of different items, each one of which is gluten and dairy free (and many of which are vegan, too, which rocks). Plus, many of their ingredients – like the veggies in their vegan calzones and the maple syrup in their maple grahams – come from local Rhode Island farms. Try an oatmeal cookie, a double chocolate cookie, or a vegan chocolate chip cookie for a dollar each, or take advantage of three-for-$2.75 pricing and try one of each. Stock up on midterm snacks with some of Two Little Buns’ popular vegan “crunchers” in either cheese, pizza, or cocoa flavor. (Hint: the cheesey crunchers make a great alternative to Cheez-Its for your late night studying/stress-eating. And since they come from a farmers market and they’re vegan, they’re healthy, right?)
If, like just about everybody else on your floor, you’re feeling under the weather:
The Honey Shop
You probably don’t need a Spoon article to tell you that The Honey Shop sells honey. You may even have guessed that they also have fun flavors like orange blossom and raspberry. But what I bet you don’t know, and definitely should know, is that (among other health supplements) they even have honey to cure your cold. Grab a bottle of Breathe, developed by The Honey Shop’s owner herself as homeopathic relief for allergies and colds.
Support local businesses, save the planet and satisfy your cravings – visit Brown’s farmers market while you still can.